Israeli Media reported on Thursday evening that Iran is deploying ground forces in Syria and will soon start a ground offensive under Russian supervision.

Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria over the last ten days, unspecified Lebanese sources reported to Reuters.

Iranian troops, together with Hezbollah forces, are preparing to launch a major ground offensive to drive Sunni Islamist rebels out of the Idlib Province and the Hama countryside, Oded Granot the Middle East, Expert of TV Channel One in Israel reported. Earlier this month an Israeli Defense official told Ha’aretz that Iranian troops arrived to help Hezbollah restore control over the Zabadani region close to the Lebanese border.

The offensive is meant to restore full control over the area to Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Granot said. He added that the whole operation will be overseen by the Russian command in Syria and that Russia will provide air support.

“The vanguard of Iranian ground forces began arriving in Syria: soldiers and officers specifically to participate in this battle. They are not advisors…we mean hundreds with equipment and weapons. They will be followed by more,” one of the Lebanese sources told Reuters. Iraqis were said to take part in the operation as well, the source said.

The beleaguered Idlib province is in the north bordering on Turkey. Islamist forces of Jabhat al-Nusra and other Sunni groups had made significant gains in Idlib recently and were able to drive Assad’s army out of the last stretch of the Turkish border that was still under regime control.

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As Western Journalism reported earlier this week Iran, Iraq, Syria, Hezbollah and Russia have formed a new coalition that aims to consolidate Assad’s rule over strategically important areas in western Syria.

Russia began an air campaign in Syria on Wednesday and is still building up its forces in the country. All of the Russian air strikes were aimed at forces that battle the Assad regime.